Manchester United report: Red Devils must overcome one major obstacle to sign Dutch centre-back

Manchester United face stiff competition from AC Milan as they seek to sign Lille centre-back Sven Botman.

That is according to a report by Football Insider, which states that the Italian giants are ready to rival the Red Devils for Botman's signature. Erik ten Hag arrived in Manchester on Monday as he starts his new job early, with the Dutchman not due to officially take over until July 1.

Ten Hag will no doubt have already started to run the rule over the squad at his disposal for next season. United are expected to be in the market for at least one new central midfielder, with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic both set to leave on free transfers.

And it appears that Ten Hag also wants to bring another centre-back to the club, with Botman one of United's leading targets.

Harry Maguire has endured a difficult campaign and will need to bounce back next term, while Raphael Varane's maiden season at Old Trafford has not been as good as United fans had hoped. Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones face uncertain futures, with both centre-backs having been linked with a move away this summer.

Lille's Botman also looks set to be plying his trade elsewhere at the start of next season, but United face an uphill battle to sign him. AC Milan have put in plenty of groundwork and negotiations over a £25m deal are said to be at an advanced stage.

United could still hijack the transfer but they will need to persuade Botman to ditch Milan.

That will not necessarily be easy: the Rossoneri are the favourites to win the Serie A title and will be participating in the Champions League in 2022/23, unlike United. Ralf Rangnick's side must beat Crystal Palace on Sunday to guarantee themselves a place in the Europa League next season.

A failure to do so could see West Ham take sixth spot instead.

More Manchester United stories

Manchester United have been linked with a vast array of talents ever since Erik ten Hag was confirmed as manager – while Paul Pogba has been linked with rivals Manchester City.

Rumours persist that Benfica forward Darwin Nunez may well be bought, too, while Frenkie de Jong is an apparent target for Ten Hag following their time together at Ajax. Brentford midfielder Christian Eriksen is another player being talked about in relation to a move.

It's not all incomings at Old Trafford, either: one report lists the rumoured departure list out of Manchester. Paul Scholes, meanwhile, has been sharing how much of a disaster the current dressing room is from his chats with Jesse Lingard.